Answers
by Leo The Lucario
Summary: Confused, N travels to Kanto to seek answers from a battle with a certain silent trainer... Red.
1. Chapter 1

The wind howled as a man with green hair and blue eyes walked out of a cave. The man looked around, then shivered. The intense cold of Mt. Silver had done a number on him, and his white overshirt and khakis didn't help, either. The wind picked up even harder, as if telling him to turn back. The man adjusted his grey and black hat, then trudged forward, intent to reach his destination.

After a few minutes of walking through the snow and wind, the man saw something in the distance. It seemed distinctly red, with a bit of blue nearer to the ground. As he approached, he noticed that it was another man, with a red and white hat, a red jacket, black undershirt, and blue jeans. The man hadn't noticed N's arrival yet; he was still looking out over all of Kanto and Jhoto.

N reluctantly cleared his throat to grab his attention. Red turned around, slightly interested at the newcomer. N took in a deep breath. "H-hello." He stammered, the cold making his voice chatter. "I was wondering if I-I could have a b-battle with you." Red stayed silent as he stared at N, looking him up and down. N waited a few moments, then continued. "I… I'm confused. I heard that you were the f-first to beat the Kanto League. My f-father…" he stopped for a few seconds. Could he really call Ghetsis his father now? Since he found out the truth at the Unova League, he wasn't sure what to believe anymore.

Red sighed. He wasn't sure what to make of this green-haired man. So, he did what he always did. He took out a Poké Ball and started throwing it lightly in the air. N looked at the Poké Ball, then took out his own. "T-thank you." he said as he trembled slightly. This was it. He was going to battle the first trainer to beat the Kanto League. Maybe, just maybe, his questions could be answered with a simple battle. They both took a stance, then released their Pokémon.


	2. Chapter 2

N's Poké Ball released first, sending out his Vanilluxe, which was relived to be in a cold climate. Red's Poké Ball released Snorlax, which just lay on the ground, seemingly asleep. N decided to go first. "Frost Breath!" he yelled, and the Snowstorm Pokémon formed shards of ice that was sent towards Snorlax. Red didn't move, and Snorlax mimicked him. He took the hit, but still didn't move.

N scowled a bit. "Alright, Blizzard!" Vanilluxe conjured up a large amount of ice this time, mostly from the area around the battlefield, and shot them all at the Snorlax. Without being commanded, Snorlax jumped into the air, avoiding the brunt of the attack. N stared, shocked at the sudden movement. He then snapped back to reality. "Another Blizzard!" Vanilluxe began to make more ice, but Snorlax was going straight down at him. N waited a choice few seconds, then yelled "Now!"

Vanilluxe unleashed his attack just as Snorlax belly flopped on the dairy treat Pokémon. After a few seconds, Snorlax grunted and stepped off of N's Pokémon, having a bit of difficulty getting to his feet. Vanilluxe, to N's dismay, was out cold (no pun intended). N recalled his fallen Pokémon, then took another Poké Ball from his belt and released his Klinklang. Before he gave his opponent time to attack, N yelled out his command. "Focus Blast!"

Red was a bit shocked at this command: He wasn't too sure, but he thought that Klinklang couldn't learn that move. Snorlax tried to jump in the air to dodge the attack, but because of his earlier wounds, was hit in the air. He fell back to the ground with a large thud that echoed throughout the mountain range. Red smiled slightly, then recalled his Snorlax.

Red plucked a Poké Ball from his own belt, then threw it. In a flash of red, Charizard bellowed for all to hear. N stepped back in fear, then regained his composure. "Night Slash!" Klinklang then rushed up to Charizard and, from some unknown force, produced black claws that lunged at Charizard. The fire Pokémon grunted slightly at the attack, but then grabbed Klinklang before he could retreat back to N. Charizard then brought up fire from his maw and shot it straight at the gear Pokémon.

Klingklang cried out in agony from the pain, and N cringed visibly from the attack. Then, Charizard threw his opponent back toward N's side of the field, where it hit the ground. Then, to Red's amazement, the Pokémon started changing color, from silver to black and red. Zoroark was able to pick itself from the ground as it favored its right side, which his fur was burned off, revealing the skin underneath.

N frowned. "Night Slash, again!" he said, and Zoroark rushed at Charizard once again, this time a bit faster. Charizard tried to grab Zoroark, but missed as the Illusion Pokémon slashed into the opponent's hide. Charizard snarled at the Zoroark, then let loose a huge blast of fire at him. N's Pokémon was too close to dodge, and he was hit with the full intensity of the blast.

N sighed as he recalled his Pokémon. 'Type advantage, type… got it!' he thought to himself as he threw out a Poké Ball, which released a Carracosta. Red glanced at the new opponent, then back at his Charizard. N smirked a bit. He wasn't too aware of it, but he was growing accustomed to these battles of wit. Even though he was raised with the knowledge that humans were enslaving the Pokémon race, he now had the knowledge that not all Pokémon trainers were meanies. On the contrary, many of the Pokémon would do anything for their trainers, and it was mutual for the trainers as well.

"Stone Edge!" N called, and Carracosta grabbed multiple sharp stones from under the ice and hurled them at Charizard. Charizard covered himself in his wings to shield the attack, but it didn't work as originally planned. Now, he was hurt, and some of the stones had penetrated the thin membrane of his wings, making him clumsy if he were to take flight.

In retaliation, Charizard stomped on the ground as hard as he could, and the ground trembled from under Carracosta. The Tortoise Pokémon braced itself as he was hit with the massive Earthquake. It did tremendous damage to him, but was able to hold on because of his ability, Sturdy.

"Finish it with Aqua Jet!" N said. Carracosta sighed deeply, then rushed at Charizard with insane speed while he covered himself with a torrent of water. Charizard wasn't expecting this, and was hit full force with the attack. Carracosta rushed back to N as Charizard tried to stay up, then failed and collapsed.

Red reluctantly recalled his Pokémon. He then took a few seconds to make his decision, then sent out his Venusaur. Before the Grass Dino Pokémon even touched the ground, it sapped Carracosta of his remaining energy, and N was forced to recall him. Also taking a few seconds to think, N released his Archeops, who flew through the air above his trainer.

Before N could call an attack, Venusaur shot large vines from the ground toward Archeops. N had to step back to not get hit himself, and Archeops was able to dodge the large roots. A few of the smaller roots hit his underbelly, but he was mostly unscathed.

"Fly!" N called, and Archeops flew straight up in the air, where ice crystals began to form on his wings. He was about to shrug them off, but he let them be. Venusaur just stood there, watching what the flying Fossil Pokémon would do. Then, Archeops nose-dived straight at Venusaur at a dazzling speed. Just as Archeops was about to hit, Venusaur smirked. He unleashed Frenzy Plant again, and Archeops was ensnared. But, Venusaur was hit hard as well by Archeops, and the ice formed on his wings only added to the attack.

Somehow, Venusaur was knocked out easily. Archeops had to cut the roots and vines with his claws, but was able to get out of his entanglement. Red scowled, knowing full well that Archeops used the weather to his advantage. He recalled Venusaur, and as he did so, the vines and roots also dissipated. Red took another moment to think out his strategy, then threw out a Poké ball.

Blastoise roared as he was released, making both Archeops and N cringe a bit. Like Venusaur, Blastoise shot a huge blast of water at Archeops before he was ready. Luckily, though, N's Pokémon was able to dodge it before it came too close to him. N finally got his act together. "Dragon Claw!"

Archeops rushed at Blastoise, much like how he rushed at Venusaur, and slashed at his opponent. Blastoise was able to block with his burly arm, but now he was wounded and bleeding. The ice didn't help him, as well. Blastoise growled, then formed a large brown sphere and shot it at the retreating Archeops. Instead of hitting Archeops, though, it merely followed him because of the sphere's size. Archeops had to keep moving to keep from getting hit, though.

"Fly again!" N said, and like before, Archeops flew up into the air. The Focus Blast continued to follow Archeops, but he was able to dodge it once and hurled himself at Blastoise. Thinking on his feet, Blastoise retracted himself into his shell to stop any form of damage to him. Archeops couldn't stop, and he ended up smashing straight into Blastoise's shell, which, to both trainers' amazement, cracked in a few places. Archeops was able to weakly get up, but then was hit from behind from the Focus Blast. Apparently, the Blastoise was hit by the brown sphere as well because he didn't come out of his shell.

Both trainers recalled their Pokémon, then stared at each other. They both only had two Pokémon left to battle. And with a yell, both trainers threw out their Poké Balls.

On N's side was now a Klinklang, eager and ready to battle with its spinning gears. On Red's side was a Lapras, smiling and unaffected by the cold in the slightest. Not letting Red get an opportunity again, N called out his attack: "Flash Cannon!" Klinklang began to rotate its gears faster and faster until a silver ball was in front of it. Then, it forcefully shot the ball at Lapras.

Before the attack hit, Lapras shot a blast of water from his mouth at the Klinklang. Both Pokémon were hit with each others' attacks, and both were considerably weaker. Both Pokémon looked at each other for a few seconds, not doing anything.

"Thunderbolt!" N yelled, and Klinklang began to turn his gears again. The area surrounding him became charged with static electricity, then they all formed into a single bolt and raced at Lapras. Lapras, on the other hand, waited for the attack to hit. Like before, he shot another, more powerful blast of water at Klinklang. Once again, both attacks hit. Lapras could do no more, so Red recalled him. Klinklang hovered weakly from the attack, Brine doing more damage with his defenses down. N also recalled him.

This was it. They were down to their last Pokémon. N clutched the Poké Ball in his hand while Red calmly plucked his own Poké Ball from his belt. N threw his Poké Ball, which released his strongest Pokémon, Zekrom. Red looked at the legendary Pokémon, then smiled. He relished for a real challenge, and now he was finally getting it. He threw his own Poké Ball, which released his strongest Pokémon, his trusty Pikachu.

There was a small moment of silence as both trainers and their Pokémon looked at one another. Then, as quickly as it had come, both Pokémon unleashed their attacks without being told to.

Zekrom unleashed a huge ball of blue electricity on the Mouse Pokémon, but Pikachu nimbly dodged it and used an electric bolt himself. Zekrom shrugged it off as it hit, not too affected by it. He then raised his black claw up and slashed at Pikachu. This time, he couldn't entirely dodge it and received a gash on his side. Pikachu retaliated by attacking Zekrom on the head with a shining silver tail.

Zekrom cringed visibly this time as he held his head. Then he surrounded his head with pink energy and lunged at Pikachu. Red's Pokémon met him with a quick attack of his own, and they both received substantial damage. Zekrom held his head now, cringing from the pain. N wasn't sure how Red's Pikachu could do that much damage from a simple attack, but he knew that this battle was about to end.

Zekrom glared at Pikachu, then rushed at him with his body, attempting to knock him out. Pikachu smirked slightly, then rushed at Zekrom, enveloping himself with a large amount of electricity. The mountains boomed as they collided, and for a few choice seconds, they just stood there, watching each other. Red looked at Pikachu, and N watched as Zekrom breathed in heavily. It seemed like the trainers and Pokémon stood there forever. Then, Zekrom grunted as he fell to the ground with a resounding thud.

N just stood there, looking at Zekrom's unconscious body. Pikachu, with difficulty, went over to his trainer. Red petted his head, then recalled him. N recalled his Pokémon, then began to walk up to Red. He couldn't describe what he was feeling at the moment: the intensity of the battle, the fierceness of each Pokémon battling to their full potential, and the stunning loss that he had been dealt.

"I… thank you." N said as he stared at the ground. "Your P-Pokémon, they spoke to me." At this, Red's eyebrow lifted. "They… they couldn't stop talking about you. About how y-you trained them to be their very best, and that you treated them with the utmost respect. And," N said as he looked at Red and held out his hand, "I must thank you for the battle."

Red looked at N's outstretched hand, then smiled and shook it with his own. N smiled. 'Maybe…' he thought to himself. 'Maybe the world isn't as cruel as my father had said it was. Maybe… I've finally found the answers I need.'

**Author's Note: I was writing this with a massive headache, so I hope it is alright. Please review about what you liked or didn't like about it. I might make a different outcome later if others want me to.**


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